Whether you’re an individual student seeking professional growth, an organizational leader aiming to upskill your team, or a small business looking for HR onboarding solutions, Cougar Tracks at WSU Tri-Cities is your trusted partner in continuing education and workforce training.
- Expert-led instruction: Learn from experienced professionals and industry leaders.
- Flexible learning options: Choose from in-person workshops, online courses, or hybrid formats.
- Customizable courses: Create training and onboarding courses that fit your organization or industry.
- Community impact: Strengthen your career and contribute to the growth of the Tri-Cities region.
- Lifelong learning: From beginner to advanced levels, our courses are designed to grow with you.
- Expert-led instruction: Learn from experienced professionals and industry leaders.
- Flexible learning options: Choose from in-person workshops, online courses, or hybrid formats.
- Customizable courses: Create training and onboarding courses that fit your organization or industry.
- Community impact: Strengthen your career and contribute to the growth of the Tri-Cities region.
- Lifelong learning: From beginner to advanced levels, our courses are designed to grow with you.
Upcoming workshops & courses
Manager Coaching Series: Communicating with Influence
February 24, 2026
8:30 a.m. – 11 a.m.
WSU Tri-Cities
The Manager Coaching Series is a set of four half-day, industry-informed workshops designed to strengthen the management skills employers value most.
Leadership effectiveness hinges on communication. This workshop develops managers’ ability to deliver concise updates, facilitate productive meetings, and influence outcomes even without formal authority. Participants will gain techniques to engage stakeholders, align teams, and drive action through clear and persuasive communication.
The Art of Pairing: Elevating Food & Wine Workshop
March 24, 2026
1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Walter Clore Wine & Culinary Center, Prosser WA
Cougar Tracks, WSU Tri-Cities Continuing Education, invites winery teams, hospitality professionals, and wine enthusiasts to an immersive workshop exploring the art and science of food and wine pairing.
This 4-hour session blends guided tastings, hands-on pairing exercises, and storytelling strategies designed to elevate professional service, hospitality experiences, and personal wine appreciation.
Manager Coaching Series: Leading Performance & Change
This workshop focuses on prioritization frameworks, navigating difficult conversations, and applying ADKAR principles to guide teams through organizational change. Leaders will leave with skills to maintain morale, sustain productivity, and communicate priorities clearly during transitions.
Manager Coaching Series: Building the Team
Participants will learn how to attract and select the right talent, onboard new hires effectively, and create development pathways that drive engagement and retention. This session equips managers with tools to reduce turnover and strengthen organizational culture through intentional team-building practices.
Manager Coaching Series: Communicating with Influence
This workshop develops managers’ ability to deliver concise updates, facilitate productive meetings, and influence outcomes even without formal authority. Participants will gain techniques to engage stakeholders, align teams, and drive action through clear and persuasive communication.
The Art of Pairing: Elevating Food & Wine Workshop
Cougar Tracks, WSU Tri-Cities Continuing Education, invites winery teams, hospitality professionals, and wine enthusiasts to an immersive workshop exploring the art and science of food and wine pairing. This 4-hour session blends guided tastings, hands-on pairing exercises, and storytelling strategies designed to elevate professional service, hospitality experiences, and personal wine appreciation.
Resilient Business Builders Network
Running a small business in the Tri-Cities takes grit, creativity, and community. The RBBN is a community of practice offering professional development workshops that address specific challenges and training needs for entrepreneurs, family businesses, and nonprofit leaders who want practical tools to strengthen operations, develop people, and grow with confidence. Quarterly sessions are designed for hands-on learning and immediate application so you'll leave with clear strategies, templates, and a next-step action plan you can put to work right away. Session topics are informed directly by participants, and by joining the Network, you help shape what's next. Future workshops are co-created within the Network to ensure maximum value, relevance, and engagement.
Online on-demand courses
Viticulture & Enology programs
Don’t see what you’re looking for? Contact m.hrycauknassif@wsu.edu
| Audience | What We Offer | Key Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| Individual Students | Courses designed to accelerate professional and personal growth through practical, mentor-supported learning. | Executive presence & leadership to lead with confidence and influence. Industry certifications that strengthen your resume and credibility. Teams & business fundamentals to build and sustain high-performing results. Project-based learning to apply skills through real-world work. |
| Organizational Team Training | Customized training solutions that build capability, strengthen culture, and improve performance across teams. | Leadership & team building that strengthens collaboration and trust. Advanced communication for clearer alignment and conflict resolution. Innovation workshops that develop problem-solving and entrepreneurial thinking. Customer service mastery to elevate experience and brand loyalty. |
| HR Onboarding Solutions for Small Businesses | Onboarding training packages built to align with your mission, values, and operational goals so new hires ramp faster. | Customizable onboarding tailored to roles, culture, and expectations. Compliance & safety training to support ethical, regulated workplaces. Leadership development that elevates service, strengthens communication, and drives resilient team and business performance. |
Individual students
Unleash your potential with courses designed to accelerate professional and personal growth through practical, mentor-supported learning.
- Develop executive presence and leader to lead with confidence and influence.
- Attain industry certifications that strengthen your resume and credibility.
- Learn team & business fundamentals to build and sustain high-performing results.
- Gain hands-on experience through project-based learning to apply skills through real-world work.
Organizational team training
Empower your teams with customized training solutions that build capability, strengthen culture, and improve performance across teams.
- Develop leadership & team building that strengthens collaboration and trust.
- Improve advanced communication skills for clearer alignment and conflict resolution.
- Attend innovation workshops that develop problem-solving and entrepreneurial thinking.
- Equip your team with customer service mastery to elevate experience and brand loyalty.
HR onboarding solutions for small businesses
Streamline your onboarding process with training packages built to align with your mission, values, and operational goals so new hires ramp faster.
- Take advantage of customizable onboarding packages tailored to roles, culture, and expectations.
- Access compliance and safety training to support ethical, regulated workplaces.
- Work with leadership development tools that elevate service, strengthen communication, and drives resilient team and business performance.
Cougar Tracks Success Stories
“We found Cougar Tracks to be a valuable tool to educate our enterprise management team on accounting practices while fostering a strong sense of team at the same time. 16 members of our management team went through the Understanding Business Costs certificate program together. Some are adept at accounting practices, including two CPAs, while others have a basic understanding. Everyone on our team benefited from the coursework and related discussions, and our enterprise is all the better for it. We felt so strongly about the value we received that we had three of our managers enroll in an additional course to invest in their growth and add value to our team. We highly recommend Cougar Tracks and will leverage this training tool in the future!”
Michael Novakovich, President & CEO, Columbia Ability Alliance
“Being part of Cultivating Service Excellence really helped me improve how I communicate, especially when it comes to handling tough conversations with my coworkers. I learned how to adjust the way I communicate to better connect with both customers and teammates, which has made a big difference. I also picked up skills like answering the phone in a professional way and making sure every customer who comes into the store feels supported. One of the biggest takeaways for me was realizing how much my attitude affects everyone around me, even during a simple phone call.”
“I grew up in foster care and then went into years of experiencing incarceration and addiction. The Cultivating Service Excellence class taught me skills that no one ever taught me.”
Grace Collective team members
“Being part of Cultivating Service Excellence really helped me improve how I communicate, especially when it comes to handling tough conversations with my coworkers. I learned how to adjust the way I communicate to better connect with both customers and teammates, which has made a big difference. I also picked up skills like answering the phone in a professional way and making sure every customer who comes into the store feels supported. One of the biggest takeaways for me was realizing how much my attitude affects everyone around me, even during a simple phone call.”
“I grew up in foster care and then went into years of experiencing incarceration and addiction. The Cultivating Service Excellence class taught me skills that no one ever taught me.”
Grace Collective team members
“We found Cougar Tracks to be a valuable tool to educate our enterprise management team on accounting practices while fostering a strong sense of team at the same time. 16 members of our management team went through the Understanding Business Costs certificate program together. Some are adept at accounting practices, including two CPAs, while others have a basic understanding. Everyone on our team benefited from the coursework and related discussions, and our enterprise is all the better for it. We felt so strongly about the value we received that we had three of our managers enroll in an additional course to invest in their growth and add value to our team. We highly recommend Cougar Tracks and will leverage this training tool in the future!”
Michael Novakovich, President & CEO, Columbia Ability Alliance
Scholarship opportunities
Cougar Tracks is proud to partner with the Richland Chamber of Commerce and City of Pasco to make education accessible and affordable.
Eligibility requirements:
- To qualify for a City of Pasco Workforce Training Scholarship, applicants must be a resident, business owner, or employee of a business within the City of Pasco (proof of residency or employment may be required)
- Terms and conditions: Applications are processed on a first come, first-served basis; funds are limited and will be awarded until fully utilized; applications received after the funding cycle closes will be informed via email and encouraged to reapply in the next funding cycle. Sign up for the Cougar Tracks newsletter to stay informed about program and scholarship updates.
Richland Chamber of Commerce members can take advantage of the Business Boost Grant for full cost reimbursement towards Cougar Tracks programs, contact the chamber directly for details at information@richlandchamber.org.
Cougar Tracks Team
